Write a short note on the Batala publications.
In Bengal, an entire area in central Calcutta — The Battala — was devoted to the printing of popular books. Cheap editions of religious tracts and scriptures, as well as literature that was considered obscene and scandalous was available in Battala. By the late nineteenth century, a lot of these books were being profusely illustrated with woodcuts and coloured lithographs. Pedlars took the Battala publications to homes, enabling women to read them in their leisure time.
